| Monday, July 23 2001 |
At the begining of June, 2001, the Institute of Genetics at Nicosia has issued the final results on the DNA identification of another 36 people who have been killed during the 1974 Turkish Invasion. Among them, were 10 who have been in the missing persons' catalog since then. An announcement from the committee and a list of their names follows.
Announcement from the Committee (in English)
Announcement from the Committee (in Greek)
Catalog of the Recently Identified
Exhumations-DNA Analysis-Scientific Identifications
With the initiative of the Cyprus Government, a series of exhumations were undertaken in 1999, for the scientific identification of approximately 250 remains of persons, who were buried in the summer of 1974 in the cemeteries of Lakatamia and Agiou Constantinou and Elenis, in Nicosia.
A number of these remains belonged to Greek Cypriot conscripts and reservists of the National Guard and some soldiers of the Greek Contingent in Cyprus, who were buried without proper identification. Some civilians were also buried during the same period with the military personnel.
The exhumations were undertaken by a group of qualified experts of the internationally recognized Non-Governmental Organization ?Physicians for Human Rights? (PHR), under the direction of American Professor Dr. William Haglund.
The identifications are carried out at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics with the method of DNA, in cooperation with the team of the PHR. The scientific team of the Institute is headed by Dr. Marios Kariolou.
After the announcement in early June 2001, of the last 36 new identifications, the total number of remains whose identity has been confirmed, or recognized, for the first time has reached 108.
From the 108 remains, 82 belonged to persons known to have died and the remaining 26 to persons who were considered as missing. Out of these 26 remains, 16 belonged to persons whose cases were not submitted to the United Nations Investigatory Committee for investigations.
The total number of persons who were originally listed as missing and have been identified until today, including the 17 year old American citizen Andreas Kasapis, whose remains were recovered earlier by the American investigatory team in the occupied area, and its scientific identification was done in the USA with DNA analysis, is now 27.
| Missing Persons Identified as Dead Since Last June |